Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1887-01-29
EDITORIAL NOTES.

The new plan by which New Haven can
get out of the railroad business has re-
ceived a very cordial welcome. 1t is plain,
straightforward and business like, and is put
before the public frankly and openly, as it
ought to be. There will probably never be a
better chance to sell out the city's trouble
some and improbable interest in the Derby
road than this. On another page we publish
the opinions of prominent business men con-
cerning the plan.
1t is said that since the opening of the
Canadian Pacific railroad salmon are desert
ing the Fraser river Formerly the salmon in
the spawning season assembled the river by
the million and they could be scooped out of
the water by the ba1relful with any kind of a
vessel large enough. The noise of the engine
and the vibration impaired to the water by
posed to have scared them and therefore
caused their departure.
The monument which has been erected in
Mount Hope cemetery, Worcester, Mass, in
memory of John B. Cough has among its in
scriptions the following utteranee by Cough
great country than that a barrier high as
heaven should be raised between the unpol-
luted lips of the children and the intoxicat-
ing cup; that everywhere men and women
should raise strong and determined hands
against whatever will defle the body, pollute
the mind or harden the heart against God
and his truth.
An artesian well now being bored in St.
Augustine, Florida, is twelve inches in diam
eter and is the largest artesian well in the
world. 1t is now flowing at the rate of T.
600, 900 gallons in twenty-four hours. The
being deepened every day. The old idea that
Florida was of coral formation has of late
years been vigorously disputed. The boring
of this well proves that coral underlies the
State and samples of the material have been
saved at every stage, and for the last $50 feet
the drill has been going through coral rock.
General Sheridan's experience in fighting
Indians years ago taught him that sunken
pits held by rifiemen were better than forts,
which formed clearly visible mark for the
enemy. He therefore proposes a series of
submerged pits in the sea, with guns that
can be raised or lowered at pleasure, never
rising above the surface of the water 80 far
as to afford good mark for an advancing
feet Such works would be better defended
against hostile fire by the water surrounding
itself than any visible fort can be by steel or
other casing. The idea seems to be valua-
BILE one
The Afghan boundary commission report
discoveries of coal seams eighteen to twenty
five feet in thickness covering a vast extent
of country. The greater part of the north
ern Hazarajat is, in fact, one vast coal field.
The Pioneer says: The mass of mountains
and network of valleys which lie between
Cabul and Herat has never been scientifically
them has been that they are inhabited by a
warlike race of Mongolian descent, Shia Mo.
hammedans by religion, who have always
been able to hold their own fairly well against
the Sunni Afghans, certain clans of the Ha-
zaras having, indeed, never paid tribute to
the Amirs. Their country will now possess
peculiar interest for us since these coal fields
have been found.
The new explosive said to have been dis
covered in France will probably make war
still more unsafe than it is now. The prob
lem which the experimenters are apparently
trying to solve is to ascertain how the largest
number of men can be killed at single .ex-
plosioD, and it is held that the solution of
this problem will tend to..put an end to all